BOOKS!
Productivity, Content, Marketing & Business
The books I've picked below are ones I have experience with directly OR I covet them myself and aim to read soon! Nothing gives back over and over quite like a book. If you're like me you agree. A good book is worth its weight in gold. I don't have a load of time to read and considering I love both info books AND fiction I have to be selective until I can make a living simply reading books!
So the books I have here aren't full of marketing pitches or padded with fluff. These books give back with heart.
♥
This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin
It’s impossible to create work that both matters and pleases everyone.
Seth Godin has written 18 international bestsellers and is highly regarded among entrepreneurs for a very good reason. I think this is the best of his books so far because it nicely encapsulates all the concepts of his previous books clearly and concisely.
If you've been wondering why you haven't had traction with your business online or you aren't sure how to connect with your clients, this is for you. Godin clearly explains how marketing works online today and he does it in a way that can impact your business right away. Everything from how and why niching works to connecting authenticly with the people who need your help. You will have a lot of "ah-ha" moments. I bought the audio version of this book and loved it but he has so many gems that I found myself taking copious notes.
I've now ordered the hard copy so I can flag key parts. It's a go-to book that I'll refer to often.
This is a must-have business 101 kind of book and he's a pleasure to read.
The Morning Sidekick Journal
The first 60 minutes of your day are extremely important for setting the tone for everything to follow. Stop rushing this critical time and start getting control back!
Oh wow. I can't say enough about this journal. You can read more about my experience with it here. I am now working my way through their other journals because YES -I also love meditation, nutrition and fitness and they have a journal that focuses on each of these areas. These aren't your typical "journals". They really are more like books or courses or workshops.
They are simple, inspiring, bite-sized and fun. And I can tell you they work. This one helps you create a supportive morning habit. I've never been more productive than when using this journal. It's why I'm diving deeper into productivity and the psychology behind good habits. Because habits make your life (and business) and I want a good one, don't you?
This little journal helped me manage Winter blues, improve my fitness, remove looming energy drainers and get more done before 9 AM I ever thought possible.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - by James Clear
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems -James Clear
I heard this author speak on a podcast and was captivated by the material PLUS it was referenced in The Morning Sidekick Journal that I used earlier this year to jumpstart great habits of productivity.
I bought this book because things had changed since I became an entrepreneur and what worked for me in the past was no longer working. I wanted to understand how to make changes that would help me reach my goals of eliminating bad habits and embracing some more good ones, increasing productivity and generally reaching more life and business goals.
There are so many mind-blowing helpful science-based bits of information in this book that will help you understand why it's difficult to break bad habits and how to make new ones easy. For example, I never understood the 1% improvement rule other productivity people talked about until I read this book. But there are so many insights to be gained. This book is fabulous for entrepreneurs but also for anyone who helps others with their lives (hello life or health coaches!).
This book delivers. It's science-based, actionable and very readable. These things I love.
No fluff. All well-respected research and SIMPLE.
Master Content Strategy: How to Maximize Your Reach and Boost Your Bottom Line Every Time You Hit Publish -by Pamela Wilson
A masterclass in content marketing strategy for content creators at every stage of the journey — written by a business owner, marketing consultant, and leading authority on the subject.
Content strategy and content audits for large blogs and websties was always something I enjoyed while working for large corporations and agencies with digital clients. I think I enjoyed it so much because it was often neglected and I felt that I could offer a lot of value sharing my perspectives for how to use content in a digital world and change strategies as businesses grew.
I am not a copywriter however and Pamela Wilson is AND she is a stellar marketer whos strategies have been tested, and work. She has an encreatdable story. She wrote for Copy Blogger and ended up impressing them so much they hired her to manage their content and her strategies helped to grow that company into one of the highest ranging and influencial content resourses online.
I bought both these books when I heard about them and they are both packed with clear, essential advice for anyone creating content online today.
Master Content Marketing: A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience -by Pamela Wilson
Clear action steps, a solid business strategy, and a simple, realistic process will have you creating high-quality content on a consistent basis. Anyone who needs to write effective content - whether or not you think of yourself as a writer - needs to pick up this book. - Sonia Simone, Chief Content Officer, Rainmaker Digital and Copyblogger
This book goes well with Pamela Wilson's other book Master Content Strategy. These two books go together very well. This book dives more into content creation that gets attention, clients, search engine hits and keeps working hard for your business long after you hit publish. Both books cover aspects of the other, but each dives deeper into either marketing or strategy while covering a bit of both in each.
This book goes deeper into how to write you posts and content than the Strategy book.
The strategy book talks more about how to use your content,
If you write social media content, blog content or articles to help expose your business these two books are essential.
The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast - by Jeff Sanders
This is a productivity workshop in a book!
If you want to get your business in shape, plan how you're going to reach your goals and start to see progress right away, this will help.
I was introduced to Jeff Sanders and his work via The Morning Sidekick Journal which I love. Yes, he has a rah-rah "guy" way of talking, but don't let that put you off if you're into more of a feminine way of working. Actually -if you are more naturally tuned into a feminine way of business, you might just need the tools in this book more than others. His way of teaching is no-nonsense, clear and value packed.
It's one of the things I like most about his material.
There are so many productivity books out there and what I love about this little gem, is that he's consolidated the best of what's come before and created a simple system you can try for yourself, that is guaranteed to help you get more from your days. He includes some great free downloads to help you organize your business and life goals. Following his methods and those I started new habits within my Morning Sidekick Journal -have ramped up my productivity game and helped me get a lot more from my days.
This book will help you find your focus -and that is arguably the one thing that can prevent new businesses from thriving.
I love this book and know you will too.
I have so much love for these products and this company.
If you are like me and you enjoy finding ways to get things done and make life simpler, you might have experimented with various systems or tools to help you reach your goals. Some work better than others and I've found most are either too complex or too simplistic for my needs and require a fair amount of my own tweaking. After all, how can someone else come up with "the system" that's perfect for you?
I don't know if that's possible but...
Science can be helpful.
We are all humans and as much as we each are unique, we all do some things the same and for similar reasons. Tools based on solid research work. Not because of any "hack" but because of the way we are wired. Understanding the science of our behaviour makes little light bulbs go on and once they're on, we can see why we've failed in the past and what we must do differently to succeed now.
All of the Journals below, I'm interested in using. I've just started using the fitness one below.
Badass Body Goals Journal
This is in the post right now! I'm committed to the fitness habits I kickstarted with The Morning Sidekick Journal and want a similar system for just fitness to continue and this is perfect. I am someone who happily works out at home usually, but I used to be far more active outside the home as well when I used to cycle an hour to work and an hour back every day as well. Staying fit as an entrepreneur requires a different set of habits I've learned. Menopause also dictates a different approach. Having a clear step-by-step system to follow is exactly what I want and need. And this one is designed by experts. I can just focus on my and let the journal do the thinking. <3
Meditation Sidekick Journal
Fat Loss & Nutrition Sidekick Journal
I'm finding as I age, I need new information about muscle building and nutrition and I'd like to move into my 50's doing all I can to be as fit and healthy as possible. This creates the solid foundations I want and need to be my best self. I look forward to trying this once I've completed my work with the Badass Booty Journal ;-)
*Some links may have affiliate links and this means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase anything from that link. How I use affiliate links.